An endangered agency

Our opinion: Staff cuts are impeding the Department of Environmental Conversation in fulfilling its mission. The governor and Legislature must address this.

As summer sets, we can’t help but reflect on glorious days spent around Lake George, Second Lake in Grafton, or in many other treasured spots. Sunlight reflects off the pristine waters, woodpeckers rat-a-tat-tat on logs, and nature lovers release a collective sigh of appreciation for a well-enjoyed season.

Nor could we help but be annoyed, though, that the close of summer brings further evidence of a nagging staffing problem at the state Department of Environmental Conservation — the agency charged with protecting New York’s natural resources.

Environmental Advocates of New York said last week that between 2009 and 2012, water pollution inspections have fallen off 74 percent, and inspections of all kinds, including for air pollution, have dropped 35 percent.

In stating that “DEC needs more cops on the beat,” the environmental group cited the loss since 2007 of 235 jobs in inspecting air emissions or water discharges. That’s part of a reduction of 860 people overall at the agency, which now employs just under 3,000 people.

Yet like a lost driver who refuses to ask for directions, the DEC seems determined not to publicly acknowledge that its depleted resources threaten to compromise its mission.

Instead, it says a decline in industrial activity due to the flagging economy would lower the number of inspections. It also says compliance with environmental regulations is up, resulting in fewer violations and, therefore, less need for enforcement actions.

Yet time and again, DEC has acknowledged that reduced staffing levels have curtailed its ability to fulfill its mission. It has cited staffing levels to explain:

Why boat inspection and washing to control Lake George’s invasive species problem needed more study before being anything but voluntary;

Why the regulations on public notification after municipal sewage spills were delayed for months after the notification law went into effect; and

Why, according to the state’s retired endangered raptor specialist, the department’s endangered species work is in peril.

Just a few months ago, Commissioner Joe Martens acknowledged the agency is short-handed, especially in its water quality division, which is involved in everything from storm response to drafting regulations and reviewing an avalanche of public comment on the proposal to allow hydraulic fracturing for natural gas.

Mr. Martens says that shifting the burden of reporting compliance with environmental regulations to businesses and improving the process with technology are significant steps forward. The agency, he says, rewards honesty by not going after businesses that voluntarily report problems.

But in trying to help the state be “open for business,” the DEC has shied too far away from human intervention. Citizens have every reason to wonder how the agency can really know that compliance is up when it isn’t out actually doing more inspections. Because potential polluters say so?

If they want to be truly business friendly, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the Legislature must better fund this agency so that it can protect the resources that make New York an attractive place to work and live.

They ought to heed the words of a former governor, Theodore Roosevelt: “Do not let selfish men or greedy interests skin your country of its beauty, its riches or its romance.”

25 Responses

DEC has been for years over staffed with bloated salary employees that weren’t needed to “protect” the environment of NYS. Harassment and made up violations were tools employed to extort dollars from the “evil” private sector, to “enhance” the image of DEC.

Maybe DEC can take their Summit Stewards off the mountaintops annoying people, and put them to good use annoying others more deserving. Mountainman Cuomo could then take credit for reallocating useless staff.

Am I wrong, or did the last Cmsr of DEC come out and publicly state that Cuomo’s refusal to fill massive vacancies at DEC had compromised its ability to fulfill its job (I’m sure it was in the TU), and didn’t that result in that Cmsr. getting immediately fired for speaking out against The King? Anybody remember this and can supply details? It was just a year or two ago I think. Given this history, is it any wonder that Martens is mum about what he says to the press about what’s going on at a very understaffed DEC? (860 gone, of course they can’t do the same job).
Nobody is able to speak out for the people and the care of the environment anymore, big businesses and corporate interests have taken control through the politicians and muzzled those who speak out.

DEC is not only short staffed but short sighted. Many NYers continue to suffer the horrendous pollution of wood boilers despite the AGs Office under Cuomo issuing the report, Smoke Gets in Your Lungs. Now the AG has quietly filed an Intent to Sue the EPA over the issue BUT all this AG action is a BIG nothing for those living downwind. Why is it that NYS completely ignores the problem and has not passed Legislation as the States of Washington and Oregon have done. THREE SIMPLE WORDS: FAILURE TO LEAD. Many people are getting very sick and Commissioner Martens and Governor Cuomo seemingly do NOT care. Smart laws mean a cleaner environment and less need for enforcement. Why can’t Commissioner Martens and Governor Cuomo see that. DEC is locked up to keep the public out and they don’t serve the public either. They need more boots on the ground but less political appointees w/huge salaries accomplishing nothing would be a good place to swap out staff. And how about waking up on updates to laws. Study after study done by EPA, NYSERDA, DOH, and DEC on the issue of wood boilers and all we get is an unenforceable half baked law known as Part 247. The Alaska AG just won a case shutting down the very boilers NYS is allowing for sale in NY. DEC – Dangerous to the Environment and Children. There are lots of good staff at DEC but they are hamstrung by politics and poor leadership. Time to get rid of the political appointees and get back to doing the work of the people Commissioner.

The life expectancy at birth in NYS is almost 5 years higher than it is in your typical wing-nut state (ex Alabama, Texas, Mississippi, etc) and a lot of that difference is due to DEC’s efforts to track down and eliminate illness causing sources of pollution. Of course when it comes to protecting the health and safety of New Yorkers or the profits of the polluting corporations wing-nut/republicans will take profits every day of the week.

Every State Agency and every State employee is forever portrayed as evil slackards who do nothing and steal the taxpayers money. Until something comes up.. and they are needed.

Needed to get a chemical spill cleaned up. Needed to make sure a neighborhood is safe to return to after an air contamination. Needed to institute something that by its nature needs to be controlled, handled, or enforced by a Government agency.

Then those slackard employees cannot ever respond fast enough. Because there is no one to respond. No one to answer the phone. No one to do the work. And the Governor does nothing at all to support his staff of State workers.. largely taking the Popular View of the Evil slackard State Worker (because that view buys votes).

Meanwhile, if the Governor wants it.. those slackards drop everything and do his bidding because saying No to the Governor is not an option. As a result some taxpayer who wants an answer has to wait. Some one who is a voter.. and their view of the State Agency is lowered.

It is not happening just at DEC. It is happening across the State in every agency.

So what it comes down to NYS is still broken. Leadership is self serving! Voters voted in another round on Bums that just cant get in right! The environment suffers and families in NYS are collateral damage! Just remember next election who is running NYS in to the ground. Who is the leader aka The king !

#10 So true. Cuomo is trying to get rid of state workers and doing a very good job at making state workers look bad to the public by over loading some departments, making unreasonable demands, and not allocating staff to accomplish these demands.

It was King Patterson who canned DEC Commissioner Pete Grannis for telling the truth in legislative budget hearings. He said something like that DEC was way beyond having the fat cut and that the cuts were into the marrow and the bones were falling off. Many more layoffs and attrition due to retirements since then.

ReepDaggle- I quote a letter from Joseph J. Marten’s to Senator Gillibrand Dated June 8, 2011 “DEC must have the discretionary authority to allocate limited resources where necessary and appropriate” Their limited resources are boots on the ground staff!.

@ ReepDaggle
Diogenes II made a bald faced statement. Let him provide backup to prove his statement. Otherwise it is more of the same liberal spewing to repeat a lie long enough so that it becomes a truth.

You made a bald faced statement. Now provide something to backup your statement. Otherwise your comments are more wing-nut spewing to repeat a lie long enough so that other wing-nuts will think its true.

I told you how to find the truth. Now do it. I’m sure other readers have and know I’m right.

PlainGuy,
So did jerry. My point was not to agree or disagree with Diogenes, but to point out jerry’s double standard. He questions Diogenes “factual” contention and calls for proof, but makes no offer to prove his own “factual” contention. Like I said the first time you don’t get to demand from others what you refuse to provide yourself in an identical situation.

jerry,
Not sure if your #9 was directed at me. If so, I didn’t say I had anything to add. My #5 was to point out your double standard, nothing more. If you had asked for proof without making the “factual” contention that Diogenes was wrong, that would be different. But you did make the contention, and it’s hypocritical to demand proof from him while offering none yourself.

Googling something does not provide your reference material. I don’t have to spend my resources backing up your statement. Just saying “i told you how to find the truth” shows that it is not supportable.

@PlainGuy,
Googling something DOES provide reference material, in fact it’s really the only practical way to get it in a situation like this. My google search arguments returned multiple supporting web sites right at the top of the search results, so people can link to them and read them if they want. If you want people to read something that supports you, you better provide a link because people will find it nearly impossible to find (assuming one exists) on their own.